Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1887-08-20
INDIAN BONES.
Several Bushels Taken from u
Mound.

MOUND.
Prof. Montgomery left for Grand Forks
Wednesday morning with five boxes of
skulls and bones and other ancient relics
taken from q mound on the Becker farm
near this city. The cxhumati"n took
place Tuesday, under tho immediate
supcrintendoncy Of tho professor. The
expedition party consisted OF Hon. II. w. |
Lord, c. IL. Sholes. tho talented editor |
Of tho Council Bluffs Herald, John A.
Pcrcival, John Flittie, DIR. Ellis and the
INrER-OcEAN scribe armed with tho
necessary grave-digger's tools. Tho
scene of operation is directly opposite
Capt. Icernans lako shore homo and
about 200 yards back from tho water.
This rcd mans burying ground was
discovered carly in tho spring by Mr..
Becker, who. in digging into n hill topic
make II hot bed for his plants, unearthcd
two human skeletons, and with them
two very handsome flint spear points
nearly six inche, III length.
Tuesdays expedition was designed to
replenisll the museum OF tho University
of North Dakota, which was recently de-
stroyed by Il wind storm, and there Is
every reason to believe that Professor
Montgomery is more than satisfied with
tho days work. Tho mound containing
those bones IS sixty feet in diameter and
its apex rises about seYen feet above tho
surrounding level. From its base the
ground continues to recede gradually
so that the present level of tho lake is
perhaps so feet lower than the natural
hill upon which this Indian mound was
built, showing that at tho time these
bodies were buried there - anywhere
from 900 to 500 hundred years ago-the
IspOt may llaye been an island, or ut least
la very small AMI narrow peninsula.
There are many theories ~ to the man
nor in which tho ancient occupants Of
this region buried their dead. The plausi-
bic theory is that they made IL circular
. excavation of say two feet in depth and
placed tho bodies therein in II sitting
posture. Tho grave was then covered
with logs and limbs and upon this rude
thatching an immense quantity of dirt
, was placed to keep out enemies and wild
: animals. In the course of tho ages the
dccaycd logs have given away and the
great weight Of earth has borne the
q mass downward and filled the grave.
y There were found last Tuesday various
!, evidences which support this theory.
3 Immediately npon or very near each
2 skull was found decaycd tree trunk
: from four to seven inches in di
amcter at this date. The skulls them
. SELVES were found three to four feet be
low the surface, imbeddcd in black soil
and lying, generally, face downward
upon the two bones ofthe hips. There Il
, proof that the bodies were placed in a sit
: ting posture, in this, that when the thatcli.
n in. with its weight of dirt went down
v the heads were forced to the bottom o
it the pit. There is also reason to believ'
: that tho legs OF the dead were drawn
s. up SO as to support the chin upon thu
: knees, the log bones being found so nca
# the skull, even against it. There is Ger
v tainly nothing to indicate that the bod
/, les were buried in recumbent position
@ as we now lay ourselves away. Eight 0
h nine skulls, with the other bones Of tn
l. bodies, we're taken out, all ofthem show
/, ing more or less decay. One skeleton il
n particular, taken nearer the surface thar
d the others, fell to pieces upon beinI
touched, notwithstanding the professor
admOnition to
-"Iiandlc with care
Touch him ginSerly
cI $50 old and rare
' The first trophy was the skull Of
r child, six or eight years Of age perhaps
,f AZ indicated by the teeth and the bon
j. formations. The next was that OF ma
h the professor judged to have been 20 Q
n 80 years of age at the date of death.
d was unusually large. Tho right temple
the nose and the left lower jaw bon
showed marks of violence. "Killed j
=, battle no doubt was the professor
:. verdict, 'as these marks or wounds wer
made only short time before death.
;. The age Of the person was determine
~ by the almost total absence of sutures i
the skull, they having grown up. as
,s the case with all aged persons. Th
at teeth were large and firm. The thig
Ibone was very large and unusually lonl